Eggs. Baskets. Chickens.

Just got word that a big project we’d invested a lot of effort into isn’t going to happen. In the past, I would have pinned a lot of hopes on that money coming in, and been in a panic when it didn’t.

These days I know better. No project is certain until the money’s in the till.

So many metaphors come to mind. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, f’rinstance. It’s easy to say, look, we’ve got eggs, therefore, we’ll have chickens. Or, look, we’ve got hot prospects, therefore we’ve got a project.

Speaking of eggs, don’t put ’em all in one basket. If you earn your living primarily from a single client, that client owns you. In reality, you’re en employee, not an entrepreneur. Have plenty of smaller eggs, not just one large one.

And more than one basket, if you can arrange it.

Twenty small streams of income is more stable than 2 large streams. Seems nothing is stable these days, so when you start juggling all those chickens and eggs and baskets, be prepared to lose a few.

If you’ve got spares, there’ll always be enough for that omelette.

2 thoughts on “Eggs. Baskets. Chickens.

  1. Sue – this is so true! I had a similar instance recently – I was certain I’d nailed the project even though I knew my price was higher than the client was originally looking for. Our conversation led me to believe the company was looking for quality over cost and I fit everything the company was looking for. What did they do? Chose the cheapest bid. Now, with some changes to my approach (and lots of networking) I’m more in demand than I’ve ever been and that project is pretty much a memory (until I email them next month to see how things are going lol). In addition, so many business owners I meet now have two businesses or some real over achievers have four or five (but all tie into each other in some way).

    Great post – thanks for sharing!

  2. Thanks, Charity. (It’s Joel, Sue’s husband, the nearly invisible Chief Virtual Officer ;)

    Isn’t it amazing how people will sometimes carefully say what you hope to hear without realising that it’s always best to be open and aboveboard. In the end, it saves everyone time and work.

    Tell me about the changes to your approach. What have you found effective? We’d love to heat about it.

What do you think?